


Butterfly

by DestinyLeane



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Other, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21781486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinyLeane/pseuds/DestinyLeane
Summary: Rose has made so many choices, so many mistakes, all to save something she didn't even know she would be a part of until she stopped existing. Rose can't change who she is, or was, or will be. Given the chance, can she make things easier for what's to come? does she even have any control? after all, you can only change the future.Fanfic au suggested by EmositeCC (check out their art its wobderful!!)
Relationships: Pink Diamond & Spinel (Steven Universe)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

"I used to be just NOT good enough!" Spinel pounded her fists down in the damned sheild, "just NOT GOOD ENOUGH for Pink! But now-" 

She almost choked on the words, the hurt. "Now, I'm not GOOD AT ALL!!"

The gem blew up her fist, crashing it down with the last bit of effort she had. All this. All this anger and hatred and for what? To cement herself in being broken? In being loathed and hated- a monster? It was funny really, this whole time she had been so angry and it didn't even matter. Pink was gone. She was gone and there was nothing she could do about it, it was hilarious almost. That she never even cared. 

"Heh, heh, hh..that's funny right?" The wry laugh only made the words catch in her throat more. "At least...you found me entertaining." 

What a concept, it was all she was for, even he probably hated her, the idea was nice though, deluded as it was.  
Spinel pressed her forehead against Steven's shield, the cool of it somewhat welcoming to the overwhelming burning that seemed to consumer her entire form. She laughed.

"You actually liked me...didn't you?" A frugal and fruitless question. After all she'd done, what was it for? Really? Vengeance on a stranger she only hated through Pink? Vengeance on the planet that she only ever longed to be on. It didn't matter, none if this ever even mattered. It was a laughable excuse for a tantrum that she knew only Pink could really manage. And here she was betraying her and hurting her son, her family for what?

"What am I doing?" Spinel pulled herself away from the boy, staring down at him, at herself, at the wreckage she caused, why? "Why do I wanna hurt you so bad?" 

There wasn't a reason. Not a good enough reason. She wasn't supposed to hurt people, she wasn't supposed to be bad like this. 

"I'm supposed to be a friend.." the words trembled on her tongue, and just slightly, she saw something like a terrible recognition in Steven's eyes, like Pink was staring back at her and the twisted reflection of herself she became. 

"I just..wanna be your friend." 

Steven stared back at this broken and starved gem, finally realizing her lament. His subtle movement made her cower, revealing the truest of regret in her actions. As much as he hated it, as much as he loathed the idea of forgiving her for attacking his home and his family, his friends- he knew on some level she was only lost. He long to put things right, maybe even start over. Go back and make his mother bring her. 

"Spinel-" his whisper was cut off by the deafening crack of the glass beneath them, before a blinding light erupted all around the two of them. 

The light faded, and Spinel stood at the spot Pink had begun their game, just was the warp pad jettisoned her off to do whatever duties lie on the Earth's diamond base. How exciting! How wonderful that Pink would play one last game with her before they went to her new colony. She smiled, as a small and shining yellow butterfly drifted by, landing delicately atop her head, making that smile grow just a little wider and she closed her eyes in content, feeling as though the ground tipped to the side just slightly. 

There was no intention, Pink knew this, there was no intention of leaving the gem forever, or even longer than a few hundred years. 

She would return. Then again, there was no intention of bringing Spinel to Earth either. She was merely a playmate, a replacement for the Pearl she broke. At one point she may have cared, but Pink was grown, she was afforded her first opportunity to be a real diamond. How would a diamond look, ruling a colony with a lowley Spinel by her side? 

NO.

The voice was so loud and violent that it nearly knocked her off her feet when she hit the palace warp pad. Screaming louder and angrier than she, and it looked and felt as though only she heard it. Pink glanced around the palace, expecting to see Yellow storm into the room about something she might have done. It was empty though, aside from the Pearls that scurried about the halls. 

"My Diamond," the familiar voice pulled her attention from her thoughts. Oh. The Pearl White had made for her. "Are you ready to depart for the planet Earth?" 

NO, GO BACK NOW.

It rang in her ears, familiar and distant and she wasn't entirely sure what it was, and really only wanted it to leave her be. Pink huffed quietly to herself, secretly contemplating the terrible and nagging fear of a future she suddenly felt so jeopardized. 

"I think.." she hesitated, hoping the idea would placate the noise. "I think I'm going to bring Spinel along with us."

It didn't make any sense but the screaming died down into a subtle but unmistakable humming at her words.

"Are you sure-" Pearl caught herself, "if it's what you desire, my Diamond."


	2. Sideways

Was there a reason for this? Pink didn't know, she didn't particularly care aside from making the noise go away and aparently backtracking on Spinel was the solution?   
It didn't really make sense, but nothing in particular made sense about anything now. 

Building a colony was entirely new to her, it was all she ever wanted and still she had absolutely no idea what to do once she had it. 

Spinel stared at the warp pad, forcibly willing herself not to move lest she lose Pink's game, goodness, she wanted to bounce just slightly in her excitement. She had to be patient though, be patient for Pink. 

The warp pad lit up, almost shocking her, even though she had her eyes trained on it the whole time. P̸i̷n̵k̸ ̷D̷i̵a̵m̸o̵n̴d̸ ̷c̶a̷m̶e̴ ̷b̶a̶c̷k̵?̷

"Pink! You came back so soon!" Spinel grinned, not moving from her place just in case Pink wasn't ready yet.   
Pink stepped off the warp pad and for a second the ground jerked to the left, it wasn't real though. Spinel couldn't exactly tell if it was and she was far to excited that Pink had decided to come back so quickly. 

The screaming was gone, Pink was relieved of that the moment she stepped off the warp pad, she smiled softly at the pink little gem that stood in her spot. Perhaps, if she hadn't come back Spinel would have waited there for her for eons.   
Surely she wouldn't though. 

"Are you ready to come to Earth with us?" Pink asked, watching Spinel begin to vibrate with so much more joy than she initially anticipated. 

"Yea-" T̷h̸a̸t̴ ̶i̵s̵n̸'̴t̵.̸.̷.̶

"O-of course!" Spinel's smile dropped for just a second, caught off guard by the twisting and turning of something she didn't recognise. It didn't matter! Pink C̵a̴m̷e̷ ̶b̸a̶c̴k̶ ̸f̵o̸r̴ ̵h̷e̵r̸ ̸a̸n̶d̴ ̷i̴t̸ ̷d̵i̸d̴n̵'̸t̷ ̶m̸a̸t̴t̵e̸r̴.

Spinel glanced down at the place she stood for just a moment, should she go? She wanted to so much but something was sideways with the way she stood and the way Pink came back for her. She wanted to go so badly though. Picking up her feet, slowly, one at a time, the sideways world shifted again, she could go, it was so easy! 

Pink Diamond was waiting for her, she wanted her with her. Spinel shook the weirdness from her head and sprinted forward, reaching out to wrap her hand around Pink's and grinning widely as the Diamond led her to the warp pad.   
Pink came back for her! Why was she so happy about this? Everything was so great. 

Pink came back for her

P̵i̵n̷k̵ ̶c̸a̵m̷e̶ ̶b̷a̷c̷k̶ ̷f̴o̸r̸ ̷h̷e̶r̴

P̶̙͒i̷̳̯͆n̵̰̟̄k̸̻̘̑ ̴̱͚͊ć̵̙̝́a̴͉͆m̶̡̙̋͑e̶̢̋̅ ̸̰̓b̸͆͠ͅa̷̰̘͘c̵̱̰͊͘k̴̪͊̌ ̸͎͠f̸͇̽o̷̭͂̾r̶̙̾ ̴͇̜͂h̵̛͕͐ͅé̵̝ȑ̶̨̦

P̸̛̹͔̦̪͇͖̯͔̂̋̔̾͘͠ͅį̸͑̇̉͝n̵̢͈̬͉̼̲̆̓͗͌̕͝k̶͇̺̪̣̽̈́ ̸̧̤̯̝̓̿̈́̌̑̉c̶̨̢̬̼͍̳͋̐a̸̛̛̳̗̱͇̻͕̝͖̩̋ḿ̸͍̽͊͛̕ȩ̴̡̤̪̹̬̩̘̌̈́̃ͅ ̴̳̩͔͓͈̎ͅb̵̨̨̼̦͖̣͈̕ä̴͎͉͇̻̲̲͓͈͋͑̀͆̎̈́̐c̶̡̡̛͒̈́k̴̙͈̲̖̈́ ̸̢̙̺̆̋f̷̧͍̼͇͕̓͌̈́͑̈̄͠o̶̺̭͛̔͠ȓ̸̗͔̟͙̙̮͍̾̀͒͠͝͝ ̵͕̩̱͍̦̋̄h̷̹͙̓͗̑̈̾̔̌̈́̈́ĕ̶͖̫̯̞͉̾̅̇̾̀̎̅̑ŕ̵̛̮̘̈́̓̄̆́̓̈́͜

Everything was great.   
That didn't mean that Spinel didn't see how utterly boring all of Pink's diamond duties were. It mostly consisted of sitting around on the moon and watching all the gems below who were the ones actually overseeing the colony.   
Pink got bored of it by the second decade at the most.

"Could you imagine running a colony would be this dull?" She sighed after a few minutes of silence.

"It doesn't have to be?" Spinel interjected, popping the bubbles she was juggling in her efforts to bring some kind of entertainment to the diamond. "Oh, oh! You could go down there and play!" 

"I wouldn't hear the end of it from Yellow and Blue if I did that." She retorted, though the idea wasn't half bad. Better than sitting here doing what essentially was nothing. 

"Show me the progress on the prime kindergarten?" She mumbled, waiting for Pearl to bring up the holosphere. 

"The Quartz soldiers are due to emerge soon." She stated. Pink leaned in close, her excitement nearly causing her to knock into Pearl at the news. 

"Finally something exciting!" Pink immediately hopped out of her chair and jumped down the the bottom floor of the moon base, eagerly waiting for Pearl to follow, and hearing Spinel's squeaking shoes before the the two met up with her. 

"Hurry! We've got to see this!" She goaded. What a moment! To see the first gems of her colony finally emerge. "Quickly, turn it on!" 

"Yes, my Diamond." Pearl granted the request, the room transformed into a mirrored landscape of the prime kindergarten, just as the quartz gems began to emerge. 

"Look at this! We're creating life from nothing!" Pink scurried toward one of the glowing holes, just as the Amethyst burst out. 

"Welcome to Earth!" She smiled, just as the hologram phased through her.   
Right. She wasn't actually there.  
Her smile fell for a moment as she watched the Amethyst disappear. 

"I just wish I could be there." She muttered softly. 

"Let's go then!" Spinel giggled, glancing at Pearl who seemed to contemplate the idea.

"I'll have us warped to the kindergarden at once, my Diamond." She offered, awkwardly ducking out of Spinel's side hug. 

"Wh-what? No, Blue and Yellow would never let it go." Still, the notion was intriguing. 

"What if you just didn't look like a diamond?" Spinel pointed at her gemstone, "then no one would know." 

"You could shapeshift for the day. As..as a rose quartz?" Pearl nodded, providing a little visual interpretation of Pink as a rose quartz. The diamond grinned at the caniving idea. 

"You're a genius!"


	3. This fic is on hiatus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This fic is on hiatus

Hey everyone, I'm sorry I haven't updated anything in a while, I'm currently writing an original work titles Caring For Your Clown on Wattpad.   
In effort to focus on that story I am announcing a hiatus for all my fanfiction works until I'm completed with the book. You are welcome to read it as I write, or read my other fics on here or Wattpad. 

You can find me @DestinyLeane on that site as well.


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